Photographs of Jerome Miron-Imagn
The New York Rangers won right Matt Rempe received a game misconduct for elbowing Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen.
About seven minutes into the third period, the Rangers beat the Stars 2-1. That’s when Rempe skated behind Heiskanen, who was pulling the puck out of the Dallas defense.
Rempe hit Heiskanen from behind with his elbow raised. Heiskanen was slow to get up. He sat out for about six minutes before returning for four more shifts.
After the hit, Stars center Roope Hintz rushed to Rempe to defend his long-time teammate. They both got two-minute kids for abuse. Rempe also picked up five big points for an elbow and a 10-minute game misconduct, ending his night with 5:32 of ice time and five hits.
Although Rempe was sent off, Rangers killed a big penalty and ended their three-game losing streak by beating Stars 3-1.
“I thought he had a big impact on the game,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said he told reporters after that. “I’d rather not go for a big five-minute player, but he did everything he could to beat bodies and make a difference in the game. Our guys put it together at the end.”
This is the fourth ejection for Rangers fans in 22 NHL games. He last received a game misconduct for participating in the Rangers’ scrimmage against the New Jersey Devils on April 3. That came just weeks after Rempe received a major fine and a four-game suspension for elbowing Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler on March 11. And on February 22 against New Jersey again, Rempe received a game-tying penalty for hitting Nathan Bastian.
This was Rempe’s first game for the Rangers since November 25 against St. Louis Blues. The Rangers called him up from the AHL, where he had three goals, five points and 22 penalty minutes in 18 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack.
So far in the NHL this season, the 22-year-old has played in five games and recorded one shot and 24 penalty minutes. Last season, he scored 71 points in 17 games, along with a goal and an assist.
Rempe averages 6:15 of ice time this season and 5:46 in his career.
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